DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 216 154 CE 032 211

AUTHOR Sewall, Timothy J.TITLE A Study of Factors Which Precipitate Adult Enrollment

in a College Degree Program.INSTITUTION Wisconsin Univ., Green Bay. Assessment Center."I DATE Apr 82

NOTE 53p.

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.Adults; *Adult Students; Bachelors Degrees;Educational Research; *Enrollment Influences; HigherEducation; *Incentives; *Motivation; *StudentCharacteristics; Surveys; *Undergraduate Study

ABSTRACT/- An investigation of events that cause adults to

enroll in traditional college or university degree programs studiedthe general demographic characteristics of adult students, eventsthat trigger adults to enter or reenter a bachelor's degree program,and the relationship between barriers to education and triggeringevents. In phase 1, 20 students participated in interviews whoseresults provided the basis for development of a questionnaire. Phase2 was the pilot test of the instrument. In the full survey phase datafrom 906 returned surveys were analyzed. Results showed that 72% ofthe students were between ages 25-34, 61% were married, and 62% hadchildren. Two-thirds were employed. Nearly two-thirds had attendedcollege previously. Barriers to earlier enrollment included job andfamily responsibilities, lack of interest, and availability of funds.Adults' primary reason for pursuing a college degree was to improveand expand career opportunities. Triggers to college enrollment werejob dissatisfaction, encouragement from others, available funds,children entering school, and realization that a college degree wasnecessary to achieve a personal goal. There appeared to be a strongrelationship between reasons for delaying college entry andtriggering events. (The survey is appended.) (YLB)

*******************t**************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made ** from the original document. *

***********************************************************************

A STUDY OF FACTORS WHICH PRECIPITATE

ADULT ENROLLMENT IN A COLLEGE

DEGREE PROGRAM

Timothy J. Sewall

Wisconsin Assessment CenterUniversity of Wisconsin-Green Bay

U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONNAT,ONAL INSTITUTE or EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER 'ERIC)

/his document has been revoduced asreceived from the person n, organization

originating ItMinor changes have been made to improve

reprodot non quality

Points of view or opinions stated in this dote-nent do no neernSanty represent offloal NIE

pOWOon c, poky

April 1982

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

SerraTO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

9 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am greatly indebted to members of the Urban Corridor Consortium Task Forceon Part-time and Commuter Students who provided invaluable assistance

throughout the project: Stu Rubner, Task Force Chair and Director, CommunityStudent Services, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; Janet Brown, Director,

Adult Learning Laboratory, University of Wisconsin Center-Waukesha; Al

Loehndorf, Director, Student Services, University of Wisconsin Center-Fond duLac; Thomas Segnitz, Assistant bean of Students, University of

Wisconsin-Oshkosh; and Jean Shanahan, Director, University Special Student/Summer Session Office, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Without their

cooperation, the successful completion of this project would not have beenpossible.

Table of Contents

Page

INTRODUCTION1

Overview 1

Research on Triggers to Enrollment 2

MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY3

METHOD 4

RESULTS6

Characteristics of the Adult Student 6Summary 12

WHY DO ADULT STUDENTS WAIT? 12Barriers to College Entry for Men and Women 14Barriers and Age 15Barriers and Present Employment Status 16Summary 16

WHY DO ADULTS ENROLL IN COLLEGE DEGREE PROGRAMS? 17Goals of Men and Women 19Goals and Age of Respondents 20Goals and Present Employment Status 21Summary 22

WHAT TRIGGERS ADULT PARTICIPATION IN A DEGREE PROGRAM 22Triggers to Participation for Men and Women 25Age and Triggering Events 26Triggering Events and Employment Status 27Summary 28

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BARRIERS AND TRIGGERS 28

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 33

IMPLICATIONS 38

REFERENCES 42

APPENDIX - Survey Form 43

A STUDY OF FACTORS WHICH PRECIPITATE ADULTENROLLMENT IN COLLEGE

INTRODUCTION

At least thirty major studies of the adult learner have been conducted

during the last decade to gather information regarding the characteristics,

needs, goals, learning styles, interests and barriers to participation in

learning (Cross, 1980). This research has established several points which

bear directly on the present study.

During the mid to late 1970's several major surveys reported that the num-

ber of potential adult students vastly exceeds the number of adults who actu-

ally do enroll in formal educational programs (Carp, Peterson and Roelfs,

1974; Cross, 1978; Johnstone and Rivera, 1965). Carp, et al. (1974) found

462 of adults to be in the category of "would-be" learners who are not

enrolled now but expressed an interest in further learning. This percentage

is substantially higher than the 302 of the adults surveyed who were active

learners. Like-wise, Aslanian and Brickell (1980) cite an example from a 1978

Gallup poll: 412 of adults polled responded that they would be interested in

taking special courses or training, yet only 11% had actually ever enrolled in

adult education courses. Although definitions of what constitutes

participation in learning differ from study to study, the existence of a

rather wide gap between expressed interest and actual participation has shown

up in most of them. It appears that predisposition or interest in further

education is not enough to explain which adults will participate in further

education.

Characteristics of the adult learner have been studied to determine who

participates in various types of learning. In general, these studies have

found that the single best predictor of participation in learning activities

is prior level of educational attainment (Anderson and Darkenwald, 1979 and

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Cross, 1978,). Moreover, several surveys have identified demographic

variables that profile the type of adult likely to enroll in college: young

(25-34), high income, living in an urban area, employment in business and J

professions, to name a few descriptive factors. However, as Aslanian and

Brickell (1980) have pointed out, "demographic characteristics of learners aree A

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0correlated with the causes, but are not themselves the causes, of adult

learning" (p. 47).

There have also been numerous investigations of the educational goals and

objectives of adult students (e . National Center for Education Stati*tics,

1972, 1975) which typically reveal the importance of career goals (to attain

specific skills that will be useful on the job or to deve_op a new career) and

self-fulfillment goals (to complete a degree). However, as pointed in one 1

.,, Iacteristics of adults enrolled in college are not significantly differen

"interested" adult non-students. Therefore, if these 'variables are the same

for both groups then the question becomes: Out of the large number of poten-

tial adult learners, what triggers some of them to enroll in a degree program I

while others remain "potential" students?-

IIResearch on "Triggers" to Enrollment. Two recent studies have moved be-

yond the barriers and goals studies and have questioned adults about the r.ata-

lyst or event that precipitated their enrollment. Helen Astin's (1976) study

of women in continuing education programs found several important catalysts inill

the wouen's decision to enroll. More than half of the 1100 1-...bpondents cited

"the program's offerings" as the most important catalyst. Encouragement from

others, job dissatisfaction, boredom at home, lessening of home responsibil-

ities, availability of funds, family/marital problems, geographical move, and

serious illness or death in the family were other catalysts cited.

In a more comprehensive study, Aslanian and Brickell (1980) explored

"life changes as reasons for adult learning" by surveying a national sample of

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recent study (Hendrickson, 1979), the barriers, goals, and demograp is char-

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adults. After interviewing nearly 750 "adult learners," they concluded that

most of the events that triggered learning were related to changes in one's

career or family situation. Respondents indicated that many career-related

events such as promotion, transfer, job loss or new job had triggered contin-

ued learning. Events in family life such as marriage, divorce, pregnancy,

relocation or retirement also triggered many adults to return to school. A

small percentage of adults in the study also mentioned that events related to

changes in health, religion or citizenship had served as a trigger to further

learning.

MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT STUDY

Astin's survey and the interviews described by Aslanian and Brickell pro-

vide a wealth of inforthation about what triggers adults to learn. However,

three factor;: related to either the design or the method of data analysis used

in the studies limit policy implications for colleges and universities. First,

the "learners" Wao'participated in the studies encompassed a large, heteroge-

neous group of adults, including individuals who were enrollee in a wide array

of credit and noncredit programs. Secondly, although Aslanian and Brickell

interviewed a representative sample of learners, their statistical.description

of triggering events was presented only in general terms. For example, they

did not report percentages of adults who were triggered by specific events

such as the youngest child entering school, loss of a job, etc. Astin was

somewhat more specific, however, her study 's limited by the fact that the

respondents included only women in continuing education programs.

Finally, although the Aslanian and Brickell study analyze4 the data

collected in terms of relevant demographic characteristics, their broad

definition of "learner" limits the gene.alizability of results. Consequently,

the relationship between such factors as age, sex, marital status and employ-

ment status and triggering events could not be ascertained specifically for

the adult degree seeker. Past research, then, has paved the way for a more

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detailed investigation of the events which cause adults to enroll in tradi-

tional college or university degree programs. The present study was designed

to address four major questions: (1) What are the general demographic charac-

teristics of the adult student seeking a bachelor's degree in a traditional

educational program? (2) What triggers adults to enter or reenter a bach-

elor's degree program? (3) Do triggering events vary an individual's

goals, specific demographic variables or other life circumstances? (4) Is

there a relationship between barriers to education and triggering events?

METHOD

First Phase. Because of the limited amount of information available re-

garding what serves as a catalyst or trigger for an adult who returns to

college, it was felt that a series of semi-structured interviews would provide

the best vehicle for gathering some initial information.

Thirty adult students from the University of Wisconsin-Greer Bay were ran-

domly selected for participation in this first phase of the project. Students

were selected from a roster of adult students who were matriculated under-

graduates during the Spring 1Q81 semester. From this sample of 30 students,

20 agreed to participate in a 30-45 minute interview. The results of these

interviews were analyzed and provided the basis for the developments the1

four-page questionnaire.

Second Phase. During this phase of the project, another random sample of

students were surveyed by mail to pilot test'llie \ questionnaire. The ques-

tionnaire was designed to gather relevant demo55Aic information including

the age, sex, marital status, occupational status and educational history of

the respondent. Inforff.tion regarding perceived barriers to earlier comple-

tion of a degree program, educational goals and the catalyst or event which

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directly triggered the respondent's return to school was also collected. The

format and wording of the questions were based on the results of the pre-

liminary interviews and, whenever possible, were the same as those used in

previous studies.

Full Survey Phase. After appropriate modifications of the survey instru-

ment had been made, a sample of 1343 adult, degree seeking students were

selected from six campuses of the University of Wisconsin System. On each

campus "adult degree seeking student" was defined as an individual 25 years of

age or older as of the first day of the Fall, 1981 semester. Moreover, to be

included in the study, the individual had to be a matriculated, undergr,euate

student who had not previously been awarded a bachelor's degree.

The six campuses were selected primarily because of the large proportion

of adults enrolled in their campus degree programs. In addition, they pro-

vided a good mixture of both small and large campuses (600 to 25,000) serving

urban, suburban and rural populations. Two campuses offer only two year de-

grees; the other four are four-year campuses. Five campuses, including

UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, and UW-Waukesha, provided

a serially selected sample of 250 students each. At the remaining campus,

UW-Fond du Lac, the entire group of S3 eligible adult students were included

in the study. .

During the last week of October, 1981, questionnaires were mailed to the

entire sample of 1343 dult students. From three to four weeks after the

first mailing, a second ustionna:_re was sent to all nonrespondents. In mid-

December, a third questionnaire was sent to all respondents who had not re-

,turned either the first or second questionnaire.

Of the original 1343 adult students surveyed, 1025 returned a question-,

naire for an overall response rate of 76%. Only ten surveys were returned as

undeliverable. One hundred nineteen questionnaires were f,absequently excluded

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from the study when it was found that respon s did not meet the criteria of

"adult degree seeking student." The majority (N=96) were eliminated from the

study because they had alreudy received bachelor's aegrees and were seeking a

second degree. Twelve were excluded because the respondents were 24 years of

age, and the remaining eleven surveys were eliminated when the respondents

indicated they were "specials" and not seriously seeking a degree. Therefore,

out of the 1025 surveys returned, 906 were include.' in the data analysis.

RESULTS

Characteristics of the Adult Student

In spite of the fact that the present study was limited to adults who were

matriculated undergraduates, the adult students proved to be a highly diverse

group that did not be easily fit a demographically homogeneous profile.

Age and Sex. As can be seen in Table 1, nearly three-quarters of the stu-

dents responding to the survey were between 25 and 34 years of age and nearly

two-thirds (62%) of the entire group of respondents were female. The sex dis-

tribution of stir1ents did, however, vary with age. Within the 25-29 age range

the number of females only slightly exceeded the number of males, while among

students over 35, female students outnumbered male students 3 to 1.

Table 1. Distribution of RespondentsBy Age and Sex

Age Men Women Total (%)

25-29 182 205 387 (43) )

30-34 97 166 263 (29%)35-39 33 82 115 (13%)40-44 18 63 81 ( 9%)45+ 13 40 53 ( 6%)

Respondents ranged in age from 25 to 69 with a median age of A. Women

tended to be slightly older, with a median age of 28 for men and 31 for women.

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Marital and Family Status. Table 2 provides a percentage distribution of

respondents by marital status and sex. About two-thirds of the questionnaire

respondents were married, 21% were single and had never been married, 17% were

divorced or separated and 1% were widowed. While the proportion of married

men and women was the same, there were more single men than single women,

while women were much more likely than men to be divorced or separated.

Table 2. Marital Status of Respondents

MaritalStatus Men

Married 62%

Single 28%

Divorced 9%

Widowed 0%

Women Total

60% 61%16% 21%22% 17%2% 1%

Along with the large proportion of students who were married, a comparable

number also had children, including 46% who ;lad school-aged children (as shown

in Table 3). Female etudents were more likely than men to have children, but

less likely to have preschool children. Specifically, while 30% of the men

had preschool children, only 20% of the women had children who had not yet

entered school. On the other hand, women were more likely than men to havet

school-age children.

Table 3. Number of Children of Respondents

Children Men Women Total

Children (any age) 54% X67% 62%Preschool ( 5) 30% 20% 24%School Age (6-18) 34% 53% 46%Over 18 5% 13% 10%

*

Employment Status. Given the a e and marital status and family responsi-

bilities of the average adult stude , it is not surprising that most of the

respondents were employed at the time of the study, including 43% who were

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Table 4. Employment Status

Employment Status Men Women Total

Unemployed 23% 18% 20%Full-Time Homemaker 1% 22% 14%Part-time 16% 27% 23%Full-time 60% 33% 43%

employed full time (Table 4 above). Men and women differed significantly

across the four employment categories. Sixty percent of the men were employed

full time compared to 33% of the women. However, more women than men were

employed part time. Approximately one-fifth of both groups considered

themselves unemployed at the time of the survey.

Current Occupational Status. As reported above, most of the respondents

were employed at the time of the survey. Of the nearly 600 adult students who

reported that they were employed, 447 provided job titles which could be clas-

sified using the U.S. Department of Labor's, Dictionary of Occupational

Titles. Because of the complexity of the DOT classification system and the

limited amount of information available, classification was limited to the

nine primary occupational categories. In addition, because of the relatively

small number of people engaged in agriculture and factory work, percentages in

those categories were collapsed and recorded as a single entry.

Table 5. Occupational Status of Respondents

Men Female TotalOccupational Cate or N=189 N=258 N=447

Professional, Tech., Manager.Clerical and SalesService OccupationsAgricultural, Processing,Machine Trades, Benchwork,Structural Work, Miscel.

35% 42% 39%19% 38% 30%15% 14% 15%

31% 6% 16%

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As can he seen in Table 5, women were somewhat more likely than men to be

in the professional, technical, and managerial occupations. They were also

twice as likely to be in clerical and sales occupations. At first glance it

appears somewhat surprising that proportionately more women than men are em-

ployed in professional, technical or managerial occupations. A cursory exam-

ination of job titles in this category, however, suggests that this is due to

the large number of female students who are presently employed as RN's, LPN's

or in other medical occupations. On the other hand, it is not surprising that

there are more women than men in the clerical and sales areas. Job titles in

this category include a large number of clerks, secretaries and other office

workers.

An additional 15% of the survey respondents were ent ld in associated

service occupations including waitresses, janitors, gardeners, police offi-

cers, hairdressers and maintenance people. Finally, the limited number of

females engaged in agricultural or factory jobs is respcnsible for the low

percentage of the total group in those occupations. Examples of job titles in

these categories include truck driver, welder, millworker, forklift operator,

machine operator, etc.

Table 6. Prior Educational Attainment

Educational Level Men Women Total

High school graduate 15% 22% 19%

Completed some technicalschool 8% 12% 107.,

Received A.A. degree(technical school) 7% 4% 5%

Attended some college 61% 57% 59%

Received A.A. degree

(college) 9% 5% 7%

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Educational Background and Characteristics. The majority of adults who

re.ponded to the survey had attended a postsecondary institution at some time

in the past (see Table 6). Twd-thirds attended a coflege or university prior

to their current period of enrollment. An additional 15% had completed tech-

nical school courses or earned an associate degree there, indicating that only

19% had no postsecondary experience. There was only a slight difference in

the prJportion of men and women who had attended a postsecondary institution

prior to their current period of enrollment.

Respondents were also asked to indicate when they first took a college

course for credit. One third of the adults (31%) had attended college imme-

diately after high school but then dropped out. Another 18% enrolled in col-

lege between one and three years after high school graduation but had not

Table 7. Length of Time Between High School and College

Length of Time Men Women Total

0 34% 30% 31%1-3 years 22% 15% 18%4-6 years 16% 11% 13%7-9 years 13% 11% 12%

10+ years 15% 33% 26%

completed their degree. Men and women differed somewhat regarding the length

of time between high school and college with 11% fewer females than males

entering college within three years after high school and 18% more women.

waiting ten years or more after high school graduation to attend college.

Enrollment Status. With respect to current educational statu.; respondents

were asked to indicate their present class standing and the number of credits

they were currently taking. Among the adults currently enrolled in degree

programs, 62% were underclassmen, evenly divided between the freshman and

sophomore classes. Twenty percent of the adult students had junior standing,

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Table 8. Class Standing

Class Standing Men Women Total

Freshman 25X 34% 31%Sophomore 30% 31% 31%Junior 19% 21% 20%Senior 26% 14% 18%

with the remaining 18% at the senior level. An examination of class standing

by sex reveals that among the female respondents, a full one-third (34%) were

freshmen compared to only 25% of the men. Twenty-six percent of the men and

14% of the women were seniors at the time of the survey.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of the respondents were attending school part time

(11 semester credits or less), including 30% of the group who were taking be-

tween 0 and 5 credits. In contrast, 35% indicated they were taking 12 or more

hours of course work during the Fall, 1981 semester.

Table 9. Number of Semester Hot', Credits Taken

Number of Credits Men Women Total

0-5 31% 29% 30%6-8 26% 26% 26%9-11 10% 10% 10%12-14 20% 22% 21%15-17 11% 10% 10%18+ 2% 3% 3%

The " umber of credits" variable was analyzed by sex, age and employment sta-

tus. There were no differences found between men and women and the number of

credits carried. There was a moderate relationship between ag and number of

credits taken, in that students over 40 tended to take fewer cr dits.' For ex-

ample, 75% of the respondents aged 40-44 years attended school part time and

84% of the adults 45 and over attend school part time.

Finally, there was a strong relationship between present employment status

and number of credits carried. Among those adults who were employed full time,

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only 7% were also attending school full time. Among those learners who con-

sidered themselves unemployed, 69% were attending school full time. Fifty-six

percent of the part-time workers attended school full time, while 39% of the

full-time homemakers were taking 12 or more credits.

Summary of Demogra1hic and Educational Characteristics. In examining the

demographic characteristics of the adult degree-seeking student we find that

nearly three-fourths (72%) are between 25 and 34 years of age. Two-thirds

(61%) are married and sixty-two percent have cuildren, including forty-six

percent who have school-age children. In addition to their family respon-

sibilities, two-thirds of the students are employed outside the home. Forty-

three percent are employed full time and twenty-three percent pa time.

Professional, technical, clerical and sales occupations account for approx-

imately seventy percent of the job titles listed by respondents.

Responses to questionnaire items regarding educational background and

present college status revealed that nearly two-thirds (66%) of the entire

group had attended college prior to their current period of enrollment,

Forty-nine percent had attended college within three years after high school

graduation while one-fourth (26%) waited ten years or more before enrolling in

a college or university.

In spite of the high percentage of adults who had attended college in the

past, we found that approximately two-thirds (62%) were underclassmen and only

one in five had senior standing. Finally, the prevailing impression that most

adults are attending college part time is confirmed by the fact that 65% of

the respondents were taking eleven or fewer semester credits at the time of

the survey.

WHY DO ADULT STUDENTS WAIT?

In addition to completing the demographic and educational background ques-

tions, the adult students were asked to indicate what factors had prevented

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them from completing a college degree earlier. Respondents were first asked

to rate the extent to which the reasons listed in Table 10 were "very much,"

"a little" or "not at all" responsible for delaying their college enrollment.

A second item asked them to indicate "the single most important" reason for

not enrolling or completing their degree earlier. Respondents were also en-

couraged to specify "other" factors which may have prevented them from return-

ing to school and rank them using the same criteria.

Only one barrier, "wanted to or had to work," was rated "very much" re-

sponsible for delaying the enrollment of more than 50% of the matriculated

adult students. Two additional factors, including "family responsibilities"

and "lack of funds," were considered important barriers by at least one-third

of the respondents. All three barriers can be considered situational barriers

which are "arising from one's situation in life at a given time" (Cross, 1980,

p. 106). Dispositional or attitudinal barriers, including lack of interest

and lack of encouragement also prevented a significant number of adults from

enrolling in college earlier. Only a small number of adult students cited

institutionally related factors such as course schedules, locations, lack of

information, etc., as important barriers.

When forced to choose the single most important barrier, more respondents

Table 10. Reasons for Delaying College Entry

Barrier Very Much Most Important*

Wanted to/Had to Work 58% 20%Family Responsibilities 47% 27%Fends Not Available 37% 12%Lack of Interest 24% 17%Lack of Encouragement 19% 6%

Attended Technical School 16% 3%

Military Service 14% 5%Lack of Informati'm 11% 3%

Illness 6% 2%Other 6%

*Column may not total 100% due to rounding.

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chose family responsibilities than any other reason. Unfortunately, with only

27% of the respondents selecting this barrier, no single factor emerged as

"the" reason for delaying college entry. However, when taken together, the

situational barriers of family responsibilities, work responsibilities and

cost account for over half (59%) of the most important barriers. By adding

"lack of interest" to the list, the primary reason for delaying completion of

a college degree can be explained for three-fourths of the respondents.

In addition to the barriers listed, approximately 9% (N=86) of the respon-

dents listed other reasons for delaying their college work. The bulk of these

responses (N=39) were general attitudinal factors including lack of a specific

goal, lack of confideace and immaturity. Factors related to the college as an

institution such as location, poor class schedules or lack of a specific pro-

gram also ac-ounted for a large number of the "other" responses. The remain-

ing reasons offered by survey respondents ranged from not being able to speak

English to having bad experiences in college several years earlier.

Barriers to College Entry for Men and Womena

For both men and women, job responsibilities, family responsibilities and

lack of funds were the three reasons most frequently given for delaying en-

rollment in college. As Table 11 indicates, more women than men saw family

responsibilities and lack of funds as an important reason for delaying their

college entry. In fact, women were twice as likely as men to select family

responsibilities as the most important barrier. On the other hand, men were

more likely to choose job responsibilities, lack of interest and military ser-

vice as a reason for not enrolling in college earlier.

Barriers and Age

The reasons respondents gave for delaying their college work also varied

with age (see Table 12). Older adult students (35+ years old) were much more

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Table 11. Reasons for Delaying Entry by Sex

Barrier% Very Much % Most Important*

Men Women Men Women

Wanted to/had to work 61 56 26 17Family responsibilities 33 56b 15 34cFunds not available 29 42b 7 13aLack of interest 27 23 21 14aLack of encouragement 10 25c 4 7Attended technical school 14 16 5 3Military service 30 4c 11 lc

Lack of information 8 14b 3 2Illness 5 7 2 2Other - 6 7

aDifference significant at p4.05.bDifference significant at ..01.cDifference significant at p< .001.*May not total 100% due to rounding.

likely than younger adults (25-34) to perceive family responsibilities as a

barrier. In fact, with 70% of the post-35 group considering it "very much" a

factor and 44% selecting it as the "single most important" factor, family re-

sponsibilities account for a substantial proportion of the reasons for delay.

Younger students were most likely to choose work responsibilities, family

responsibilities and lack of interest as the most important barriers.

Table 12. Reasons for Delaying Entry by Age

% Checking Very Much % Checking Most Important*Barrier 25-34 354 25-34 35+

Wanted to/had to work 51 61 23 1513.Family responsibilities 38 70c 20 44cFunds not available 35 40 11 11Lack of interest 28 17c 19 libLack of encouragement ,, 17 22 5 6Attended tech school 15 15 4 2Military service 15 10 5 2Lack of information 11 13 3 1

Illness 6 6 2 1

Other6 6

bDifference significant at p s:01cDifference significant at p <.001

*May not total 100% due to rounding.

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Barriers and Present Em lo ment Status

Examination of responses according to the respondent's present employment

status reveals that full-time homemakers were more likely to view family re-

sponsibilities and less likely to cite work as a barrier than either the unem-

ployed or employed groups. Individuals who were 2resently unemployed were

highly similar to the other respondents except that a larger percentage saw

military service as a barrier. Part-time workers were more likely to cite

lack of information as a barrier while full-time workers were significantly

less likely to view cost as a barrier.

Table 13. Percentage DistributionReasons for Delaying Entry by Employment Status

% Checking Very Much % Checking Most Important*Home

Unemp. makerParttime

Full

time

Home

Unemp. makerParttime

Full

time

Work, had to/wanted to 56 40 56 66 17 12 17 26Family responsibilities 42 70 47 43 21 48 29 22Funds not available 41 39 43 31 15 12 10 10Lack of interest 28 22 26 23 20 15 13 18Lack of encouragement 17 15 24 18 5 7 8 5Lack of information 10 9 19 8 3 1 4 2

Attended tech school 11 7 19 18 1 0 4 5Military service 23 2 10 15 8 0 5 4Illness 10 8 8 3 6 1 2 1

*May nct total 100% due to rounding.

Summary of Barriers to Earlier Enrollment. According to the results of

the survey, situational barriers including job and family responsibilities de-

[erred the largest number of adult students from completing their degree ear-

lier. Lack of interest and the availability of funds also prevented a signi-

ficant number of adults from completing a college degree earlier. Family re-

sponsibilities emerged as the major problem for women while job responsibi-

lities and lack of interest were more frequently cited as a problem for men.

For adult students between the ages of 25 and 34 no single factor emerged as

"the" reason for delay; however, taken together, nearly two-thirds of the

17

respondents checked job and family responsibilities and lack of interest as

the major barrier. Among students 35 and older, family responsibilities

clearly emerged as the major reason for not enrolling in college earlier.

Finally, present employment status does not appear to significantly influ-

ence the perceived barrierc to education with the obvious exception of home-

makers who were more likely to view family responsibilities as a barrier while

job responsibilities were less likely to be seen as an important factor.

WHY DO ADULTS ENROLL IN coLLEcf; DEGREE PROGRAMS?c.

Goals of Survey Respondents

The two step approach used to gather information about barriers was also

used to determine why adult students are int' rested in-obtaining a college de-

gree. Survey respondents were asked to Indicate their reasons for pursuing a

degree at the present time by rating the imnortan-e (i.e. "very important,"

"somewhat important" or "not important") of the seven goals listed in

Table 14. They were then asked to indicate the "most important" reason for

returning to school and also given the option to specify an "other" goal they

thought was important. Cyril Houle (1961) provides a classification system

which places adult motivations to learn into three basic categories.

first category, the goal-oriented, refers to those individuals wh c tinue

their education in order to accomplish a fairly clear-cut objective. The

second groik encompasses activity-oriented learners who continue their educa-

tion to broaden their social contacts and enhance their relationships with

.others. The third category, the learning-oriented, include those adults who

return to school because they enjoy learning and seek knowledge for its own

sake. When asked to rate the importance of various goals, a majority of

adults felt that a very important reason for enrolling in a college degree

program was "to develop a new career" (65%), "simply to learn" (61%) and "to

18

Table 14. Percentage Distribution of ResponsesReasons for Enrolling in College

Reasons for EnrollingVery

ImportantMost

ImpOrtant*

To develop a new career 65 38Simply to learn 61 17To have satisfaction of having degree 51 11

To achieve independence and sense of identity 48 14To advance in present career 34 15

To make contact with other people 17 0To get away from the daily routine 14 0Other 5

* May not total 100% due to rounding.

have the satisfaction of having a degree" (51%). In additif1;4 48% indicated

that a very important goal was "to achieve independence and a sense of iden-

tity," while one-third (34%) indicated that 'career advancement" was a very

important reason for continuing their education at the postsecondary level.

Clearly, the goal-oriented and learning-oriented motivations are the major

reasons adults enroll in a degree program. Activity-oriented goals did not

emerge as a significant reason for pursuing a degree.

When forced to choose the single most important reason for continuing

their education, however, goal-oriented reasons were more likely to be select-

ed than learning-oriented responses such as "simply to learn," and "to have

the satisfaction of having a degree." The desire to develop a new career or

advance in a current one was selected by over half (53%) of the respondents as

their major goal. Another 14% chose "achieving independence and a sense of

identity" which also reflects a strong goal orientation. Twenty -eight percent

felt that "simply to learn" and "the satisfaction of having a degree" was

their primary goal, while less than one percent of the respondents indicated

that their major reason for returning was activity-oriented (getting away from

routine, to make contact with people).

Or)44,

19

Additional Goals

Approximately 5% of the respondents listed "other" reasons for returning

to school. A content analysis of these responses yielded two major cate-

gories. The first category included reasons which roughly fall into Houle's

goal-oriented category and appear to be very closely related to the career-

related goals specifically stated in the question. Examples include, "better

income," "financial independence," "collect GI Bill" and "develop means to

support family." A second group of goals which emerged can be categorized as

learning-oriented goals including "keep my mind active," "gain confidence" and

"utilize my potential."

Goals of Men and Women

The goals of men and women differed significantly on each of tne seven

goals specified. Women were more likely to cite the learning-oriented goals

as being very important including "simply to learn" and "to have the satis-

faction of having a degree." And "the desire to develop a new career" and

"achieve independence" were also considered very important by more women than

men. The only goal which had a higher proportion of men than women citing it

as a very important goal was "to advance in present career."

Table 15. Goals of Men and Women

Reasons for Enrolling% Very Important % Most Important*Men Women Men Women

To develop a new career 58 69c 40 38Simply to learn 54 65b 17 17

To have satisfaction of having degree 44 54c 10 12

To achieve independence anda sense of identity 32 57c 6 20c

To advance in present career 41 30c 22 11c

To make contact with people 11 20c 0 0

To get away from routine 8 18c 0 0

Other 5 2

bDifference significant at p <_.01

cDifference significant at p <.001*May not total 100% due to rounding.

2)

1.1

20

When asked to.- select the single most important reason for attending col-

lege, similar proportions of men and women selected development of a new

career, while men were more likely than women to cite advancement in present

career as the major goal. Finally, achievement of independence and a sense of

identity was selected by significantly more women thin men which, as stated

earlier, may also reflect a desire to become economically independent by seek-

ing new career opportunities.

Goals and Age of Respondents

The percentage of adult learners who felt that development of a new career

and achieving independence was very important was lower for respondents in the

35+ age category than for students in the 25-34 age group. However, a higher

Table 16. Reasons for Enrolling and Age of Respondents

% Very Important % Most Important*Reasons for Enrolling 25-34 35+ 25-34 35+

To develop a new career 68 57b 42 29cSimply to learn 60 61 15 21To have satisfaction of degree 48 56 10 14To achieve independence andsense of identity 52 44 14 17

To advance in present career 34 35 14 16To make contact with people 16 20 0 0To get away from routine ofdaily living 14 15 1 0

Other 3 4

bDifference significant at pcDifference significant at p <.001*May not total 100% due to rounding.

proportion of the older learners cited the satisfaction of having a degree as

a very important reasons for returning to school. The idea of learning for

the sake of learning was offered by almost two-thirds of both groups as a

"very important" reason for seeking a degree. Career advancement was also

equally important to both older and younger adult students.

When forced to choose a single goal, career development and advancement

04

21

emerged as the most important goal for 57% of the younger adult group. In

fact, the development of a new career was the only goal which was signifi-

cantly higher for the younger group of adult students. Older adult students

appear to be a more diverse group in that their primary reasons for learning

werejwch more evenly distributed across the five goal-oriented and learning-

oriented reasons listed.

Goals and Present Employment Status

An examination of the respondents' goals across the four employment cate-

gories reveals that career development and the desire to learn for the sake of

learning top the list of very important reasons regardless of present employ-

Ment status. However, in some instances, the percentage of respondents citing

a particular goal as "very important" varied significantly across employment

categories.

Among full-time workers, about half of the respondents cite career devel-

opment as a very important goal, while nearly three-fourths of the students in

the remaining employment categories felt that this goal was a very important

one. On the other hand, career advancement was deemed a very important goal

Table 17. Reasons for Enrolling and Employment Status

Checking Very Important % Checkin& Most Important*Home Part

Unemp. maker timeFull

timeHome- Part

Unemp. maker timeFulltime

To develop a new career 80 76 72 51 55 35 40 31Simply to learn 63 71 67 53 15 15 18 17Achieve independence and

and a sense of identity 56 61 57 35 15 27 17 9Satisfaction of degree 51 55 55 47 3 18 11 12Advance in career 19 16 33 47 7 5 8 26Make contact with people 22 20 26 9 0 0 1 0Get away from routinel, 13 23 18 10 0 0 1 0Other t

4 0 4 4

*May not total 100% due to rounding

k

22

by nearly half of the full time workers compared to less than one-fifth of the

respondents who were not employed outside the home.

The percentage of adult students who had selected job or career related

goals as their primary reason also varied. Over half (55%) of the respondents

who were unemployed at the time of the survey selected the development of a

new career as their major goal. Sixty-two percent of the homemakers chose

either career development or achieving independence. The primary goals of

students working part -time were somewhat more diverse; however, 40% did choose

careerdevelopment. Finally, 57% of the respondents working full time select-/

ed eittit4 career development or career advancement as their single most impor-

tant goal.

Summary of Reasons for Pursuing a College Degree

The eicture that emerges from the results of the "goals" question is that

adult students by and large are seeking a degree to improve and expand their

career opportunities. Although other, more socially acceptable, or what Houle

calls learning-oriented motivations for seeking a degree are also deemed very

important by the matriculated adult, when asked to state their primary reason

for seeking a degree nearly three-fourths indicate that they want to get a new

job, achieve independence or advance in their present career.

Crosstabulation of goals by sex, age and employment status indicates that

whereas women, the young and the unemployed are primarily interested in devel-

oping a new career and achieving a sense of identity, men, older women and

those who are employed full time usually become degree seekers in order, to

advance in their present careers or may participate for other learning orien-

ted reasons such as learning for the sake of learning or to get the satisfac-

tion which comes from having a degree.

WHAT TRIGGERS ADULT PARTICIPATION IN A DEGREE PROGRAM?

The suo,ey was concluded by asking the respondents to indicate what events

/1

1

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23

precipitated their decision to return to school a, the present time. The

events or "triggers" specified in the questions (and listed in Table 18) were

based on the interviews completed prior to the development of the mailed ques-

tionnaire and whenever possible, used the same terminology as Astin had used

in her survey of women in continuing education programs. Once again, respon-

dents were asked to rate the extent to which each event influenced their

decision (i.e., "very much," "a little," "not at all") as well as selecting

the primary trigger or single most important reason for returning to school.

The option of citing other triggers was also provided.

The percentage distribution of responses to the question of what triggers

adults to return to school differs remarkably from the results of the "bar-

riers" and "goals" question in two ways. First, while the total number of

adults responding to these questions was virtually the same as in earlier

questions, no single triggering event was Considered "very much" a factor by

more than one-third of the respondents. For example, becoming dissatisfied

with one's job was deemed very much a factor by only 34% of the adults, while

encouragement from others (31%) and the availability of funds (28%) were the

second and third most frequently cited triggers.

A second notable difference in how adults responded to the "trigger" ques-

tion as compared to the others is the surprising number of adults who took the

time to stipulate "other" triggering events. In fact, because the events

listed in the "other" category were also frequently cited as the single most

important precipitating event, only job dissatisfaction was selected by a

larger number of adults as the primary trigger.

In spite of the fact that no single factor emerged as "the" trigger, after

collapsing the entire list of triggers into five general categories we find

that 30% of the respondents cited job or career related factors (i.e. dissat-

isfied with jcb, lost job) as the most important trigger, 24% indicated that

factors related to one's family (i.e. children entered school, family or

el

24

Table 18. Percentage Distribution of ResponsesTriggers to Participation in College

TriggersVeryMuch

MostImportant*

Dissatisfied with job 34 27

Received encouragement from family,friends, etc. 31 12

Funds became available 28 11

Obtained specific information 18 6

Children entered school 14 8

Moved to community 12 4

Family or marital problems 9 4

Lost job 6 3

Serious illness, accident 4 3

Other 22

*May not total 100% due to rounding.

marital problems, encouragement) was the most important reason, 11% were trig-

gered by the availability of funds and 6% obtained some specific information

and then enrclled. The remaining respondents were triggered by a serious ill-

ness, accident, moving to the community or "other" triggers.

Other Triggers Specified by Respondents.

Although there were 213 additional triggers specified, an effort was made

to identify major themes by using a content analysis technique. The analysis

yielded two major categories which accounted for about 70% of the responses.

The first was a realization that a college degree was necessary to achieve a

personal goal (N=101). Examples of triggers which fell in thii category

include "a realization of what I wanted to do in life," "found a field that

interested me," "made a decision about goals for the future," "finally decided

what I wanted to do" and "I realized how badly I wanted to experience

education."

The second major category included factors related to a specific campus

(N=49). For example, a number of respondents indicated that the location,

size and cost of attending a particular UW campus strongly influenced their

_

25

decision to enroll. Others provided more elaborate explanations like "my hus-

band went to UW-(name of institution) and highly recommended the school to me"

or "I would lose credits if I transferred to another campus." It is inter-

esting to note that, although these factors are not "triggers" in the same

sense as the other events listed, almost 5% felt that the institutional char-

acteristics were significant enough to make a specific note of them.

Triggers to Participation for Men and Women

When responses are examined separately for males and females, the two

groups emerge as being highly similar in some respects but somewhat different

in others. For example, job dissatisfaction was the most frequently mentioned

single most important trigger for both men and women. Correspondingly, for

all but one of the remaining triggers listed, the proportion of men and women

who indicated that a particular event was either "vary much" a factor or "the

most important" factor was also highly similar. The only exception was for

children entering school, which was much more frequently cited by women.

Table 19. Triggers to Participation and Sex of Respondents(Percentages)

% Checked Very Much % Checked Most Important*Men Women Men Women

Dissatisfied with job 37 32 29 26Received encouragment 28 34 13 12Funds became available 24 31a 12 10Obtained information 16 20 6 6

Children entered school 2 22b 2 lib

Moved to community 14 11 6 3Family or marital problems 3 12b 1 7

Lost job 9 5 4 3

Serious illness, death 4 4 3 3

aDifference in percentages significant at p <.05.bDifference in percentages significant at p <.01.

On the other hand, when asked to rate the influence of each of the nine

triggers listed, women were more likely to cite factors related to change in

26

their family situation or the availability of funds as triggering their deci-

sion to enroll in college. For example, "children entering school" was consi-

dered "very much" a factor by 22% of the women compared to only 2% of the men,

family or marital problems was checked by 12% of the women and 3% of the men.

Finally, almost one-third of the women compared to one-fourth of the men felt

that the availability of funds was very much a factor.

Age and Triggering Events

Comparing the triggering events of younger (25-34) and older (35+) adult

students also yields some interesting results. The proportion of younger stu-

dents who indicated that job dissatisfaction was either "very much" or the

Table 20. Triggering Events and Age of Respondents

% Checked Very Much % Checked Most Important*Triggers 25-34 35+ 25-34 35+

Dissatisfied with job 38 22b 30 19bReceived encouragment 31 33 12 14Funds became available 27 30 12 7

Obtained information 16 22a 6 6Children entered school 9 27b 5 15bMoved to community 13 10 5 3

Family or marital problems 8 10 4 6Lost job 7 6 3 2

Serious illness, death 3 8 2 5

aDifferences between groups on these itmes are significant at .05 level.bDifference significant at .01 level.*May not total 100% due to rounding.

"most important" factor in their decision to return to school was signifi-

cantly higher than for older students. Older students, on the other hand,

were more likely to cite children entering school and obtaining information as

"very much" a factor. Older adult students, who were more likely to have

children, were also much more likely than their younger counterparts to select

"children entering school" as the most important factor.

30

27

Trigger Events and Employment Status

An examination of responses to the "trigger" questions across the four

employment categories also revealed some interesting similarities and differ-

ences. Job dissatisfaction, encouragement and the availability of funds are

Table 21. Triggering Events and Employment Status

% Checked Very Much % Checked Most Important*Unem-ployed

Home-maker

Part

timeFulltime

Unem-ployed

Home-maker

PartTime

FullTime

Dissatisfied with job 41 21 43 30 25 18 27 31Received encouragment 31 39 37 26 8 18 12 13Funds became available 37 25 33 22 17 5 9 11Obtained information 19 21 23 15 6 5 7 6Children entered school 14 38 14 6 6 22 7 5Moved to community 11 15 13 11 3 4 4 5Family or marital problems 11 8 11 7 3 7 5 4Lost job 12 3 11 2 7 1 5 1

Serious illness, death 8 3 5 2 5 4 2 1

*May not total 100% ,'-...: to rounding.

the three most frequently reported trigger events, regardless of employment

status. The single exception was in the proportion of homemakers who indi-

cated that "children entered school" was the most important trigger. In fact,

with 22% selecting thac trigger, it was the most frequently cited trigger

among full time homemakers.

Several other differences between employment groups include a much smaller

proportion of homemakers citing job dissatisfaction or losing a job as a trig-

ger; fewer full-time workers citing encouragement from family, friends, etc.

and more of the unemployed and part-time employed respondents reporting the

availability of funds as a trigger.

When asked to indicate the single most important trigger, the unemployed

and those employed outside the home most often cited job dissatisfaction

while, as indicated earlier, homemakers most often selected "children entered

3.;

28

school." Approximately half of the respondents in each employment category

selected job dissatisfaction, encouragement or the availability of funds as

the most important trigger. Fifty-eight percent of the homemakers chose

either children entering school, job dissatisfaction or encouragement as the

major precipitating event.

Summary of Triggers to Adult Participation in College Degree Programs. To

summarize, approximately one in four adult students (27%) cited "job dissatis-

faction" as the most important trigger in their decision to enroll in a col-

lege degree program. Four additional factors were considered most important

by at least 10% of the entire group including (1) received encouragement from

family, friends, etc. (12%), (2) funds became available (11%), (3) children

entered school (11%) and (4) a realization that a college degree was necessary

to achieve a personal goal (10%). Additional triggering events such as

obtaining information and family or marital problems were considered most

important by 6% and 7% of the total group. Loss of job, moving to the commu-

nity and serious illness were mentioned by 3% of the survey respondents.

Women were more likely than men to feel that children entering school,

family or marital problems and the availability of funds were very much a fac-

tor in their decision to enroll in college. Younger adults (25-34 years of

age) were more likely to view job dissatisfaction as a trigger while a higher

percentage of older adults (35+ years old) considered obtaining information

and children entering school as very important factors. Finally, job dissat-

isfaction, encouragement and the availability of funds are the three most fre-

quently mentioned triggering events regardless of the employment status of

respondents. The only exception to this general finding was among homemakers

who most often cited "children entered school" as the most important trigger.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BARRIERS AND TRIGGERS

As indicated earlier, no single barrier predominated among the reasons for

32

I

I

I

I

29

not enrolling earlier and no triggering event was selected by a majority as

precipitating their decision to enroll. However, a close examination o; the

data does suggest a moderate to strong relationship between some of the rea-

sons cited as barriers and the events which subsequently triggered a respon-

dent's decision to enroll in college. This conclusion was reached by exami-

ning the responses to the barrier and trigger questions in two ways. Fist,

:.he barriers selected as "most important" were crosstabulated with the

triggering events selected as "most important." Secondly, the proportion of

respondents who selected particular "barriers" and "triggers" as very impor-

tant were also closely examined.

Table 22 on the following page summarizes the relationship between the

"most important" barriers and triggering events. The horizontal axis in-

cludes the nine barriers while the vertical axis contains the triggering

events specified on the survey form. The numbers in each cell of the table

represent the percentage of respondents who selected a particular barrier and

trigger as the "most important". Close examination of the percentages reveals

that for eight of the nine triggers listed, a substantial proportion of survey

respondents had selected as "most important" a logically related barrier. For

example, 77 percent of the survey respondents who indicated that "children

entered school" was the most important trigger also indicated that "family

responsibilities " was the most important reason for delaying their college

entry.

In addition, 26 percent of the respondents who indicated that job dissat-

isfaction was the most important trigger also indicated that wanting to or

having to work had delayed their entry. One respondent simply stated, "I no

longer wish to be a skilled laborer." Another "became dissatisfied with being

just a housewife and felt a growing need to further [my] education."

3''v

Table 22. Most Important Triggers byMost Important Barriers (Percentages)

BarriersTech.

Triggers SchoolMili-tary

FamilyRespons.

Lack ofFunds

Ill-

nessLack of

Encour.Lack of

InterestWorkRespons.

Lack ofInform. Total

Children entered school 1 1 3 1 3 3 3 0 10077

Dissatisfied with job 6 3 23 12 2 3 20 7E1 3 100

Family or marital problems 0 3 8 0 13 13 13 0 100: 50

Funds became available 3 7 13 2 4 16 19 1 10034

Received encouragement 2 3 8 4 11 20 18 4 10029

Lost job 4 4 19 19 19 7 11 0 10033i

Moved to community 6 8 17 3 3 0 17 6 10033 i

Obtained information 2 6 22 8 0 8 16 18 14 100

Serious illness 0 4 13 13 13 8 17 ; 30i 0 100

31

Half of the respondents who selected family or marital problems as a trig-

ger had selected family responsibilities as a major barrier and can be exem-

plified by the following comments offered by survey respondents:

"I originally quit school because I got married and had children. I neverreally expected to firish school. About a year ago I was divorced so I had toplan for a career. The only way I could continue my life style was to get adegree so I could get a decent job."

"Getting divorced and having to live on much less income prompted areevaluation of my job and lifestyle."

"I delayed going to college for many years after I married because I feltvery secure and comfortable with my life at that time. At that time my onlygoal was to have children and stay home. For many years I was very happy inmy role, but things began to change. I began to feel I need to expand andgrow. My marriage started to fall apart and so did I. Since attending col-lege I have a whole new purpose in life and my confidence level has in-creased. It has helped me become a stronger more independent person."

Many adults (34%) also indicated that the lack of funds had delayed their

college entry and chat the availability of funds had triggered their return to

school.

"I had always disliked my profession, but demands of family, job (neededincome) and financial constraints kept me locked in. When the money becameavailable, I returned to school to change directions."

"There are no grants or scholarships available for a person who has beenworking full time for many years. I would have had to quit my job for oneyear before I would be eligible. I can now only attend part-time because Istill have to support myself. My tuition is paid for kiy my employer because Iam advancing in my present career and could continue to work for them in ahigher position after graduation."

"At the time I graduated from high school, I felt it was not fair to bur-den my parents financially. Since they were classified as a middle class fam-ily, the amount of financial aid I could have received would have been lim-ited. Instead of school I joined the service for six years to save money fortuition and to use the GI bill for living expenses. It has worked reasonablywell."

Finally, a significant number of respondents who cited having to work or

wanting to work as a barrier returned to school after (1) losing their job,

(2) a serious illness or accident forced them to quit their jobs or (3) moving

to a new community. Examples include those respondents who wrote:

"The main reason for me attending college at such a late date is: I had

Table 23. Triggers and Barriers Checked"Very Much" as Factor

Triggers

BarriersTech.School

Mili-tary

FamilyRespons.

Lack ofFunds

Ill-

nessLack of

Encour.Lack ofInterest

Children entered school 9 4 46 6 24 1886

Dissatisfied with job 15 16 42 41 4 24 32

Family or marital problems 17 6 72 44 10 39 22

Funds became available 14 1:, 7 26 2150 62

Received encouragement 10 12

___I

42 8 20 2853

Lost job 6 27 44 10 25 2555

Moved to community 13 21 38 36 6 14 27

Obtained information 17 13 53 47 10 25 29

Serious illness 14 15 40 31 31 2150

Work Lack ofRespons. Inform.

39

511

57

72

[ 59 1

83

57

64

157

11

18

17

16

16

6

10

26

12

o"`);")kiU

33

an on-the-job accident which left me partially paralyzed. I lost my job dueto this and am now searching for a new career."

"I have been very set in the past. Set in a specific job. When that spe-cific job was liquidated and a job transfer shook my identity, I took assess-ment. This forced me to look at my skills and desires."

"When we moved to , my career was not available. In deciding on anew career, a degree is necessary."

"The reason I'm going to school now is because I found that a single womancannot make a living on high school education level jobs. What triggered myreturn was the loss of what I considered a very "good" job. I was tired ofjumping from one crummy job to another and I wanted something more."

Table 23 omIthe preceeding page contains the proportion of survey respon-

dents who selected a particular barrier and trigger as very much a factor in

delaying and triggering their return. An examination of the percentages of

responses in this table yields the same basic results described above. The

fact that the percentages in each cell are almost universally larger than in

tho previous .table further suggests that job and family responsibilities play

a very important role both in terms of delaying an adult's college entry and

triggering their return to school.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Although a concerted effort was made to limit the scope of the study and

the type of adult learner surveyed, analysis of the data still proved to be

difficult. Adult degree seekers, like adult learners in general, enter or re-

enter college degree programs with the full range of job and family responsi-

bilities. Their previous postsecondary educational experiences have also

varied, along with the reasons they give for not finishing college earlier.

Their reasons for retuning range from wanting contact with people to getting

a new job, and, not surprisingly, the catalyst or event which triggers their

return also varied considerably for the adult student.

The eight statements below provide a brief summary of the major conclusions

311

34

drawn from this study. Each statement is supplemented by a brief narrative

describing the statement in some detail. The list is not by any means'------,

intended to be exhaustive and there was no attempt to place them in any order

of importance.

+ 1. In general, college degree programs attract adults who are between25-34 years of age.

The fact that nearly three-fourths of the survey respondents fell within

this age range may reflect what Levinson (1974) calls the "age 30 transition."

For many people this is a period of time during which they are reexamining

their goals in life. Consequently they may have decided to either change

occupations completely or increase their efforts to advance in their present

job.

+ 2. After age 35, women are much more likely to enroll in a collegedegree program than are men.

During the past decade women have been enrolling in college in ever in-

creasing numbers. In 1980, among college students 35 years and over, women

outnumbered men 2 to 1 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1981). In the present

study, which was limitea to undergraduate matriculants, women outnumbered men

3 to 1 in the 35+ age category. Results from the present study suggest that

the significant difference in the proportion of men and women is probably due

to he fact that women in general feel a great deal of responsibility toward

their families. Consequently, the time of self-examinatiA and the estab-

lishment of long term goals, for many women, comes some iat later in life than

it does for men. With the trend toward smaller families, women in their mid-

thirties and early forties find that a great deal of free time lies ahead.

Family respol ''ilities have decreased, their children are off to school and

they are beginning to develop a number of interests outside of the homemaker

role. Some women reported that they returned to school out of necessity be-

Cause they needed to support themselves and their families while others

qt)

35

wanted the sec..ity which comes with a college degree and a well paying job

should they lose their husband's income in the future.

+ 3. A significant majority of adult degree seekers must cope with job a13family responsibilities in addition to attending school. Consequent-ly, these factors play an importat role in the adult student's de-cision to delay college entry and frequently trigger their return.

As indicated earlier, nearly two-thirds of the students surveyed were mar-

ried and had children. In general, women were more likely to have children,

particularly school-age children and were also more likely to be vorced.

Forty-three percent of the adults had full-time jobs and 23% were employed

part time. Men had heavier job responsibilities in that 60% of the men com-

pared to 302 of the women were employed full time.

+ 4. Most adult degree seekers attend 8-'1001 part time and have attended acollege or technical school prior to their current period of enroll-ment.

A significant majority (81%) of the returning adult students had some

prior educational experience at the postsecondary level. ":wo-thirds are

attending school part time (11 credits or less) and 622 had either Freshman or

Sophomore standing at the time of the survey. When prior education and

present educational status is compared across age, sex, marital status, and

employment status, very few differences between groups emerge. Men and women

across all age categories have similar educational backgrounds and class

standing. Credit loads also do not vary by sex; however, there does appear,

to be a strong relationship between employment status and credit load, name0,

individuals employed full time almost always attend part time, while nearly

three-fourths of the unemployed and part-time ,rkers take twelve or more

credits. Finally, there is a slight tendency for adult students in the post-

45 year old category to attend school part time more often than younger adults.

Most adult students were "interested" in a college degre. for some

time. Few report they had never given it much thought before they actually

unrolled. Results from the FIrvey indicate that most adults have either been

41

36

to college at some time in the past or considered enrolling in college for

some time. Generally speaking, it appears that individuals who return to

school after age 25 are in the midst of reevaluating their lives and estab-

lishing new priorities. For example, one student reported, "I always wanted

to attend college and get a degree in accounting and now that my family

responsibilities are lessened I can do it." Another student stated, "Although

I always intended to return to school some day, I kept delaying my return due

to career opportunities. Last spring frustration with my job convinced me

that it is time to finish my degree."

+ 5. Among degree seeking adults, family and job responsibilities are themost frequently cited reasons for delaying the completion of theirdegree.

Results from the present study strongly support the contention that

responsibilities associated with an adult's job and family have a direct im-

pact pn whether or not an adult returns to college to complete a degree.

Returning to college requires a reallocation of time and money which has a

direct impact on the "significant others" in an adult's life. The long-term

benefits of having a degree must be weighed against the short-term negative

effects of being a student. Will I hav enough time to spend with my family?

What will we have to give up in order to pay tuition? Will I and/or my family

be able to "get by" if I quit my job or reduce the number of hours I work?

Unlike "traditional" students who complete their degrees at age 21 or 22, most

returning adults had previously given job and family a higher priority than

education. New priorities needed to be established before they could make the

decision to return to school.

+ 6. A significant majority of the adults who return to college do so toimprove their job and career opportunities.

I

The goal of improving career opportunities which in turn will lead to a

more satisfying, higher paying job is perhaps the most frequently occurring

42

37

theme to emerge from the questionnaire. Although adults report that other

goals such as "simply to learn" and "to have the satisfaction of having a

degree" are also very important, when forced to choose, a significant majority)

of adults cite a career related goal as their primary one. Results from the

multiple choice questions regarding goals are strongly reinforced by many of

the additional comments volunteered by the survey respondents. One woman

wrote, "At age 18 I married. Then I became very busy raising eight children.

At age 41 I decided to return to school. I was then working as a nurse's aide

and loved my job, but my husband was ill, and I wanted a career to fall back

on if he could no longer work." Other students were more concise stating, "My

goal is to be self-supporting but in a job I am interested in," "I feel that

getting my degree in nursing is my best chance for mobility" and "I am working

in a job that I like very much but can't expand without education."

+ 7. The events which trigger an adult to enroll in degree programs arevery diverse, however, circumstances related to an individual's jobor family account for a significant majority of the reasons cited forreturning to school.

An analysis of the responses to the objective portion of the survey indi-

cates that over half of the respondents were triggered by either job dissatis-

faction or changes in their family situation. Specifically, 30% cited job

related factors such as job dissatisfaction,and loss of job or change in fam-

ily responsibilities as the primary triggering event. Comments offered on the

free response portion of the survey further reinforces the fact that changes

in the adult's job and family situation triggered a return. Some typical

comments include, "I always wanted to finish school when my children were all

in school, when they all went to school I decided to go" and "After six years

of being a secretary I was very dissatisfied and felt the need for a big

change."

38

4. 8. Finally, there does appear to be a strong relationship between thereasons given for delaying college entry and the events which triggeran adult's return to school.

The overall picture that emerges from the survey is that most adult stu-

dents had been "would-be" learners for some time but did not continue their

education either because family or job responsibilities consumed their time

and financial resources or because pf a lack of clearly defined goals. Later

en gamily responsibilities diminished or if financial resources became

available, many adults were prompted to reexamine their life goals, giving the

attainment of a degree a higher priority. A second group of students returned

when rather sudden, unexpected events occurred which made a college degree

almost a necessity. For example, many women were divorced and as one respon-

dent stated, "I became responsible for the support of a family which is nearly

impossible on clerical pay." Others suffered accidents or serious illnesses

which required that they change jobs.

Regardless or the diverse triggers cited, in general, adult students who

reported that job and/or family responsibilities delayed completion of their

degree were also triggered by either job dissatisfaction or the lessening of

family responsibilities. The availability of funds was also frequently men-

tioned as a trigger by many individuals who indica' d that cost was a barrier

to earlier enrollment. Encouragement from family and friends, etc. was also

an important determining factor to those individuals who had not been encour-

aged to continue their education after high school.

In short, situations or events associated with job and family frequently

played a major role in the causes and timing of enrollment in a college degree

program.

IMPLICATIONS

From the early stages of the project a major goal has been to use the

44

39

information obtained from the study to formulate some general guidelines fur

policy and practice. The guidelines are based primarily on the data col-

lected, however, specific details are also based on information gathered

through other projects conducted by the Wisconsin Assessment Center including

consultation with individuals who provide information and counseling to adult

students who may have already implemented some of the procedures discussed

below. The suggestions are offered with the realization that any policy

decision-regarding the adult student must be made within the context of a

particular institution including the availability of funds and other

resources. 6oreovel-, none of the statements are offered with a "money-back

guarantee" and certainly none are expected to attract or retain vast numbers

of adult students. They are merely offered with the hope that adult students

can be better served.

1. New programs and service, for adult students should be based on

identified needs. Once this is accomplished an institution should arti-

culate what services it must provide and can provide the adult student.

Specific steps can then be taken to offer services to the largest number

of adults. Specifically, the adult student may find the following

services useful: (1) career and educational counseling; (2) placement

services; (3) personal/family counseling; (4) day care/evening care; (5)

assessment of prior learning; and (6) evening hours for counseling and

registration.

2. Career planning should be offered to prospective adult students.

In addition to making occupational interest inventories available to

interested adults, the prospective student could be provided with coun-

seling and other assistance regardipg: (1) possible career options; (2)

degree alternatives; (3) cost and expense information; (4) occupational

outlook information; (5) licensing/certification requirements; (6) com-

plete admissions requirements and procedures; and (7) an orientation to

AS

40

the college or university, particularly any degree requirements which must

be met by all students.

3. Institutions should make a concerted effort to enlist he support

of business and community organizations. Institutional support from these

groups can enhance the reputation of the college or university, increase

credibility and improve communication flow. Many employers may also pro-

vide the additional encouragement (psychological and rinancial) needed to

trigger a return to school. Internal polling of these organizations could

also be used to help determine whether particular degrees or certificates

would be of interest and may open the doors to more flexible class sched-

ules and locations.

4. The availability of programs, class schedules and other special

services should be extensively advertised. Advertisement, free of univer-

sity jargon, should be targeted to certain groups, particularly to those

who already have had some college, women whose children are in school, men

between 25-34 and women over 35. The job or career benefits of obtaining

a degree should also be emphasized.

5. Former graduates and students currently enrolled could be used as

promoters of specific programs for the institution. Individuals selected

should truly represent the students being served and not just the "stars"

of a particular institution. An effort should be made to select students

who would provide a number of different role models for men and women,

married, divorced and single persons, with and without children, full-time

workero, part-time workers and fladicazed homemakers.

6. Finally, institutions should strive as much as possible to offer

courses during evening hours and on weekends. It appears to be particu-

larly important to make it possible for an adult student to actually get a

41

degree by taking only evening or weekend courses. A particular institu-

tion could offer either a liberal studies or liberal arts degree or might

want to make it possible to complete a specialized major by taking evening

or weekend courses (e.g. a BSN, business, computer science, engineering,

etc.).

rL

4 7

42

REFERENCES

Anderson, Richard and Darkenwald, Gordon. The adult part-time learner incolleges and universities: A clientele analysis. Research in HigherEducation, vol. 10 (4), 1979, 357-369.

Aslanian, C. B., & Brickell, H. M. Americans in transition: Life changes asreasons for adult learning. New York: College Entrance ExaminationBoard, 1980.

Astin, H. S. (Ed.). Some action of her own: The adult woman and highereducation. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath, 1976.

Carp, A., Peterson, R. E., & Roelfs, P. J. Adult learning interests andexperiences. In K. P. Cross, J. R. Valley & Assoc. (Eds.), Planningnontraditional programs: An analysis of the issues for postsecondaryeducation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.

Cross, K. P. Adult learners: Characteristics, needs, and interests.In R. E. Peterson & Assoc., Lifelong learning in America. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 1980.

Cross, K. P. The adult learner. In Current Issues in Higher Education.Washington, D.C.: American Association for Higher Education, 1978.

Hendrickson, Elizabeth. A comparison of the educational goals of adultstudents and their cohorts who are not enrolled. Unpublished Master'.,thesis., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1979.

Houle, C.O. The inquiring mind. Madison, WI: University of WisconsinPress, 1961.

Johnstone, J. W. C. and Rivera, R. J. Volunteers for Learning. Chicago:Aldine, 1965.

Levinson, D.J. et al. The psychological development of men in early adulthoodand the mid-life transition. In D.F. Ruhs, A. Thomas & M. Roof (Eds.),Life history research in psychopathology. Minneapolis: University ofMinnesota Press, 1974.

National Center for Education Statistics. Participation in adult education:Final report 1975. Washington, D.C.: Author, Department of Health,Education and Welfare, 1975.

National Center for Education Statistics. Participation in adult education:Final report, 1972. Washington, D.C.: Department of Health, Educationand Welfare, 1972.

Tarule, Jill Mattuck and Weatherby, Rita. Adult development: Implications fornontraditional graduate programs. Alternative Higher Education, 4, 1979,11-23.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. Current population reports, populationcharacteristics. Series P-20, No. 362, issued May 1981.

APPENDIX

The Survey Form

'13

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin 54302Wisconsin Assessment Center

October 1, 1981

DearUW- Student:

In order to better understand and serve the needs of our adultstudents, the Urban Corridor Consortium Task Force on Part-time andCommuter Students, in cooperation with the Wisconsin AssessmentCenter, located at UW-Green Bay is conducting a study to gatherinformation about the educational background of adults and thereasons they are attending college after being away from school for aperiod of time.

Since you are currently enrolled at UW- you are in a positionto assist us in this investigation. We know completing aquestionnaire can be a nuisance, particularly for students with ahectic schedule. However, we value your input and hope that you willbe able to spare a few minutes within the next couple of days tocomplete and return the questionnaire.

All information you provide will be held in the strictestconfidence, and you do not have to answer any question you findotjectionable. Your questionnaire has been coded to allow us tofollow-up on nonrespondents, but otherwise your form is anonymous. Apostpaid return envelope has been enclosed for your convenience.

Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Timothy . Sewall

Assistant Director

3!)

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ADULT STUDENT SURVEY

Please read each question carefully and check 605 your answer clearly.

1. SEX: 0 male 0 female

2. AGE:

3. What is your present marital status?

O Single/Never marriedO MarriedO Separated/DivorcedO Widowed

4. How many children do you have?

(a) Ages of children:.(b) Please circle the ages of children

still living at home with you.

5. What best describes your presentemployment status?

10. What is your present year in college?

O. FreshmanO JuniorO Other (specify)

O Sophomore

O Senior

111. Is this semester the first time you have

ever taken college courses for credit?

O Yes (GO TO #16)

O No (GO TO QUESTION #12 BELOW)

12. In what year did you FIRST takecourses for credit at a college oruniversity (including UW- )?

Year: 19

(a) During your first semester didyou attend school part-time or full-time?

0 Unemployed 0 Part-time (11 sem credits or less)0 Full-time Homemaker 0 Full-time I0 Part-time (20 hrs. or less/week)0 Full-time 13. Many adults start college and then

6. Job title (if applicable):

7. How much education did you complete

drop out for one or more semesters.Before your current period of enroll-ment, when did you cast take coursesfor credit at a college or university?

Year: 19priorenrollment

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

to your current period of

14.

15.

Did you ever take a college coursefor credit as a nondegree seeking"Special" student?

0- Yes, in 19 (Year)

or

become

at UW- ?

Some high schoolHigh school graduate (or G.E.D.)Some technical schoolAssociate degree: technical schoolSome collegeAssociate degree: collegeFour year college degreeSome graduate courses

0 No (GO TO #16)

In what year did you "officially"a degree seeking student?

8. In what year did you graduate fromhigh school or receive a GED?

Year:

9. How many credits are you currentlytaking?

Year: 19

(a) During your first semester did youattend school part-time or full-time?

O Part-time (11 sem. credits or lessO Full-time

51

16. You are currently enrolled in college, but obviously delayed your college study forone or more sons. Below is a list of reasons often given by people for delayingtheir college work. For each reason check the circle that best describes to whatextent it was a reason for your delay. (Please mark one answer for EACH reason.)

Very

MuchA

LittleNot atAll

a. Attended a technical or vocational school 0 0 0b. Enlisted or drafted into military service 0 0 0c. Family responsibilities (marriage, children, etc.) 0 0 0d. Funds not available 0 0 0e. Illness (personal, family) 0 0 0

f. Lack of encouragement (from spouse, family, etc) 0 0 0g. Lack of interest or motivation 0 0 0h. Wanted to work/had to work 0 0 0i. Lack of information about college 0 0 0j. Other, phase specify 0 0 0

17. If you were forced to choose the single most important reason from the above listfor NOT enrolling in college or completing your degree earlier which would it be?(Please check only ONE. Guess, if not sure.)

O ®®®®®®® ®G)18. People attend college or pursue a degree for many different reasons. Below is a

list of reasons often given by people for going to college. For each reason-mark howimportant it is for you. (Please mark one answer for EACH reason.)

VI=Very Important; SI=Somewhat Important; NI=Not Important

VI SI NIa. Simply to learn 0 0 0

b. To achieve independence and a sense of identity 0 0 0c. To advance in my present career 0 0 0

d. To develop a new career 0 0 0

e. To get away from the routine of daily lining 0 0 0

f. To make contact with other people 0 0 0g. To have the satisfaction of having a degree 0 0 0h. Other, please specify 0 0 0

19. If you were forced to choose from the above list the single most important reasonfor enrolling in college at the present time which would it be? (Please check onlyONE. Guess, if not sure.)

e(De@eo ®

52

1

20. For some period of time you were not taking college courses and now you are.Thinking back to when you decided for sure to return to college, to whatextent did each of the following factors influence your decision to enrollat UW.... (Please mark one answer for EACH reason.)

Very A Not atMuch Little All

a. Children entered school (kindergarten, college, etc.) 0 0 , 0b. Dissatisfied with job 0 0 0c. Family or marital problems 0 0 0d. Funds became available 0 0 0e. Received encouragement from spouse, family, etc. 0 0 0

f. Lost job 0 0 0g. Moved to this community 0 0 0h. Obtained specific information about UW 0 0 0i. Serious illness or death in family 0 0 0j. Other, specify 0 0 0

21. If you were forced to choose, which one of the factors above would you sayhad the MOST influence in your decision to return to school? (Check onlyONE. Guess, if not sure.)

0®®@®0®®OT22. Please feel free to make additional comments about what delayed your college

attendance, your goals for attending and what "triggered" your return toschool at the present time.

YOUR COOPERATION IN COMPLETING THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

THANK YOU P.P.